Power Rangers: ORE
by roveryear11
Summary: Three workers at a large mining company are recruited to mine for a mysterious mineral called Orichal. However, when evil gnome-like beings want the Orichal for themselves, can they work as a team to successfully protect it as Power Rangers?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers. This is just a "what if" story.

Chapter 1: First Day Blues

It was a hot summer day in Ironberg, a small city that was divided by a river, with its two districts nestled on the banks, connected by several bridges. On the north side, it's main industrial and economical power, Terria Resources stood, it's main building, a wide, stout skyscraper with 20 stories of glass windows and steel supports, gleamed in the glaring sun.

Behind it, carved into the earth, was it's lifeblood, a huge quarry, taking up acres and acres, filled with all kind of machinery: drills, bulldozers, dump trucks, and cranes, just to name a few. However, inside the real commotion was to be found inside.

There, Felix Miranda, a young adult Latino male, walked down a long hallway in the front of the building along with 15 or so others, some in small groups talking amongst themselves. They were all dressed in variants of the same uniform. It started a military styled light gray jacket with red, blue, or yellow stripes going down it's shoulders, loose black pants with strips at the hems on the bottom that matched the jacket stripes' color. and dark brown, thick leather boots. The only individuality from the employee's came from the shirt that was visible under the jacket.

Felix wore a red stripes on his jacket and pants. He had tried to fix up his short light brown hair for his first day of job training, but now, after a whole day, he let it slowly turn back into the shaggy mess it usually was.

Soon, they neared a big set of stained oak doors, which looked slightly out of place in industrial styled building. The doors opened, revealing the inside, a huge auditorium, filled with around 100 black theater-style seats. They were arranged into three main sections, which were already almost full. Some of their occupants turned their heads to look as Felix's group walked in.

On a wooden stage, covered in black carpet, a Caucasian middle-aged man stood at a steel podium. His slightly wrinkled face held a stern look in it's steely blue eyes. His salt and pepper hair was short, giving him an even more militaristic feel. Felix gulped a little when the man seemed to look directly at him.

The man was no other than Augustus Short, Terria Resources' president and third generation owner. When the man spoke, his deep voice echoed through the sitting crowd. "Ah, so you have finally made it, new recruits! Excellent! Yes, just sit in the back there anywhere you can."

Short then turned his attention to the already seated employees. "Everyone, meet the newest additions to Terria Resource's. Now, remember, at one point of your life here at Terria, you were in their shoes, so I expect you to welcome them with amity and compassion. Soon, they'll be assigned your individual classes, so they'll be like little brothers and sisters, ready to be molded by your experience and wisdom."

As Felix took a seat, he looked over the faces in the front that stared at him and the other new employees. He wondered which class and rank they each were. For you see, at Terria Resources, all non-administrative employees were divided by 3 classes. The Classes were the specific type of job each individual was assigned to: Diggers, Loaders, and Haulers.

Diggers did all work that involved taking the desired resources, ores and minerals, from the quarries mines, so they usually stayed underground and operated drills, explosives, and mine carts. Loaders were in charge of removed what the Diggers have extracted and taking it to be refined for transport. They ran the bulldozers, cranes, backhoes, and as well the refiners.

Felix recalled that refining had once has its own class of sorts, but due to a mysterious incident, that class was disbanded and the Loaders just took on the job. Last was the Haulers, who transported resources to and from the refiners. They drove dump trucks and semi trucks and hardly ever touched the resources. Because of this, most Loaders and Diggers he knew of considered Haulers having a "easy" job.

Despite already being tested, Felix and the other new employees hadn't been placed in a class yet. That would come at the end of this orientation. As President Short addressed everyone on how to be a good Terria employee and other ethical matters, Felix caught a glimpse of a surprising sight in the room. In first two seats of the front row, two individuals, neither clad in the Terria uniform, listened to Short's speech.

Instead, they wore white lab coats, with black tuxedos underneath. The first was an older about President Short's age. He nodded along to Short's speech while he scribbled on a notepad and also adjusted his black tie every now and then.

The other person was African-American male, who slouched in the chair, arms crossed, lips pursed tightly. His eyes were tense as he darted a glance towards the employee next to him every few seconds, but he never said anything to her.

Felix pondered why scientists from the Research division would be present at a orientation meeting. Scientists never went through the same hiring process as Diggers, Loaders, or Haulers. In fact, except to collect samples for study, the two parts never met. So, what were the two men doing here?

That question would have to wait, though, as President Short finished his speech. "Now, would everyone please exit the room in a neat, orderly fashion. Veteran employees are adjourned to their specific tasks. Recruits, please make your way to the Museum in the back of the building." He instructed

A very short time later, everyone had dispersed, with Felix and the other new employees making their way to the Terria's own museum. After President Short's long, slightly boring speech, the Latino male was excited that the orientation was over. Now only one thing remained, being assigned a class. That would take place soon, when they entered the Museum.

Soon, the whole group was at their destination, two glass doors with "Terria Resources Museum" Across the top of each, with the hours of operation below that. A Terria employee opened the door for the group and everyone took a deep breathe as they went in, Felix included.

The main part of the museum was one large, square room with smaller hallways connected in it's corners Dozens of display cases and exhibits filled the room, and various paintings, sketches, and maps dotted the polished wood panel walls. Another Terria employee, this one in the worker's uniform, greet them a few feet in.

"Recruits, attention, please! I will direct each of you to one of the three senior employees behind me. Stand by them, and the will be your guides for the rest of your orientation. Enjoy the Museum, but be respectful to any visitors here. Remember you reflect the company now." The worker announced, then got to work separating them out.

Felix was almost dead last. When he finally joined his group, they were all staring in awe at the senior employee before them, a tall, sort of lanky young woman with grease stains all over her yellow striped uniform and tanned face. Her long amber hair was tousled into a makeshift ponytail. From what Felix could tell, she must have came right from the job, for the other senior employees didn't look quite so...thrown together.

"Hello! Welcome to the Terria Resources Museum. Here you'll tour our companies history and greatest finds. Allow me to introduce myself to those of you who don't know me, I'm..." The redhead started, but was quickly interrupted by cheers.

"Mason! Mason! Mason!" A couple of boys in the group across from them cheered as they put a finger up in the "We're #1" style. However, they were quickly silenced as the redhead shot a hard stare at them. She then turned back to the group.

"As I was saying, I'm Mason Camp, one of the senior Diggers here. My father, Seth Camp, was vice president of this company for 10 years. He contributed a lot of what you see here in the museum and also alongside fellow companies to improve Ironberg as a whole." She said in an lecturing manner, even though Felix was sure that everyone in the small group knew it by heart already.

Mason was the one of the most famous employees at Terria Resources, having broken many records and always willing to lend a hand to anyone of any class. Plus, the story of her father was a part of the companies culture. What Mason didn't say about her father was also pretty much common knowledge. Seth Camp had made a Terria Resources on of the most profitable companies in the area, and he in turn, had lots of money as well.

However, Vice President Camp was not a greedy man. What he didn't save to ensure his family's future or to advance Terria, he gave to the city to improve programs. He didn't like staying in the office either, and worked as a Digger in between his duties as VP. He was well-liked and everyone at Terria thought of him as a mentor or a father figure. He was riding high, until it all ended suddenly 4 years ago.

Vice President Camp had disappeared on day when out working in the quarry. Mason and President Stone never public opened up to anyone about what exactly happened, though rumors flew around that Vice President's own drill from when he worked as a Digger, the DM-5, had been involved and that he was pronounced dead. However, Seth Camp left behind a legacy, with millions of money he had invested and saved being used to fund programs and grants for Terria and its employees.

Everyone put on a solemn mood as Mason paused for a moment, but the air was instantaneously lightened when she looked up and smiled big, shaking off her sadness. "Now, I'm sure you are all eager to know what class you've been put in. Well, wait no more, I'm about to tell you. You have all been assigned..." She paused for effect as Felix moved in close, ready for her information. Felix flipped at the thought that he might be under the legendary Mason Camp as a Digger. It was every new employee's dream to be on her team.

"Haulers!" She announced. Felix's elation shattered.

"Haulers? Then, why? But, you...you're Mason! MASON CAMP, the best Digger ever!" Felix exploded with shock. Others frowned as well, sharing his disappointment.

"I know, but I'm not the best ever." She shot back quickly. "And, yes, it is tradition that it is a senior member of the class you are assigned you tells you that you've been accepted, but all the senior member Haulers are in a special meeting, so I volunteered to take you guys on the tour and get you settled in your first day." She explained, but gain a scowl.

"However, I am disappointed at your reactions. Haulers are a very important part of Terria. Your job is our life blood, moving resources in and out of our quarry. Without you, the ores and minerals go nowhere and we have no purpose. Remember that from now on and be proud of it, Haulers. Besides, some of the smartest and successful employees of the past were in your shoes. President Short himself was a Hauler back in his day, and look at him know." She reprimanded, pointing to a portrait of Stone on the wall to her right, where it hung alongside similar paintings of past Terria Presidents.

Suddenly another figure stepped up beside Felix, causing Mason to stop talking as she looked at the new arrival. Felix turned his head to, to find the young African-American male from the meeting stand next to him.

"Heh. They got you pushing newbies around now, Mason?" He said with a smirk. "Seems you got everyone in this little group starry-eyed, just like everyone else."

"Derrick? What are you doing here? Members of research team have no part in orientation." Mason retorted.

"They do if they are gathering stats on new recruits. So, which one of your "achievements..." He used his fingers in the quotation sign for that word," are you going on about now? How many irons ores you found a day? Or how you saved that one nameless dude from that rock slide last summer?" Derrick pushed pass Felix and the others, and was now only inches from Mason's face.

"It was your former boss, the head Loader and it was cave-in on the west side. Get your facts straight before even trying to accuse me of boasting!" Mason said angrily, but then took to a deep breathe. "Which I'm not doing, I'm just briefing new recruits. Now, Derrick Nelson, for the last time, could you just drop this and leave me be?"

"The day you stop treating me like just some newbie off the corner, I will." He said, pointing his finger at her.

Felix watched as Mason gently backed up, pushing it away. "The day you treat me with respect, is the day you'll get it for me. For example, I do not appreciate you acting like this in front of...!" Mason pausing mid-argument to push pass Derrick. Her eyes were glued across the room, to a small hallway.

"Wait..." She murmured and squinted to see that there was a door at the end of the hallway, and it was cracked open. "It can't be..." Mason then began to walk away, focused straight on the door, turning only towards another senior employee, this one having just announced that his group were now Diggers.

"Shawn, I got an emergency. Could you do me a favor and take this Haulers with you guys? I'll buy you lunch for the next week."

The blonde man nodded. "Sure, Mason, not a problem. Hey, Haulers, come over here with us. Shawny's going to be your new guide." He said jokingly.

However, Felix didn't go with the others. Instead, his eyes were locked on Mason as she neared the hall. He and Derrick then shot each other a confused glance, with Derrick's ending in a shrug. Felix took off after Mason. "She always does this? Stop arguments to stare at hallways?" Felix joked as they ran.

"Not funny, newbie, and I've never seen her do this. Something's up. Come on!" Derrick ordered, racing past Felix. However, he frowned when the Latino not only caught up, but passed him. Derrick growled as he pushed himself harder to keep up.

"Hey, Mason! What's wrong?" Felix said when he caught up with her, about halfway to the hall. "You look like you saw a ghost or something."

"The door at the end of that hall, it's open." She said with a calm grittiness to her voice, never taking her eyes of her target.

"Yeah, so...is that a problem?" Felix asked confused.

"The room has some of my father's collection in it, and its not supposed to be entered right now." She said. "Someone must be snooping around."

"A thief? But Terria's security is solid, one of the best in the country." Felix answered, turning around for a moment as Derrick caught up with them, making a weird sound as he tried to hide his huffing.

"Nothing like that is completely fool-proof" was Mason's answer, now at a whisper as they were at the cracked door. "Let's try to sneak in quietly, okay?" She said, and slinked into the door's opening. The boys followed, eyes glued to Mason, who immediately went toward the first case in the large, white room.

Felix came up beside Mason as she looked down into the metal case, where several label stones lay carefully in padding. However, three pads were empty, their labels having nothing to describe. "Just as I feared, a thief, in MY father's collection." She frowned.

"What now?" Felix asked

"Search the room." Derrick said as he moved away from the case. "They may be still in here. They can't be that smart, if they left the door open."

"Yeah, let's split up. Derrick, you go left. Umm...hey, new Hauler, I never got your name." Mason asked as she turned to the Latino male.

"It's Felix. Felix Miranda." He answered back.

"Yeah, that's right. Miranda. You got good marks on your entrance test. Good job! But, umm, you take the right, and I'll go down the center. If anyone finds anything, they get the other two, got it?" Mason instructed.

"Right!," was Felix's answer and from Derrick she got a "Whatever," his answer causing her to frown. However, the Digger said nothing and headed down the center to find clues or hopefully, the culprit.

However, just as they got to the center of the room, they heard a banging behind them and all three quickly turned back around. The door out was now closed.

"Everyone out! Hurry!" Mason ordered and the three charged ahead, flying out the door. They couldn't let the culprit get away. How did anyone slip past, though? Everything in the room, all the shelves and cases, touched the ground and none were above eye-level. They're hadn't be a place to hide out of their vision, so far, anyways.

However, these questions didn't matter long thought, as much as how to stop the thief. As they bolted out of the hallway, a dark figured clothed in a brown cloak was charged towards the museums front entrance to the outside world, pushing people aside, including Shawn and some of the new Hauler recruits.

"After them! Stop the guy in the brown cloak! Thief!" Felix said as he and Mason ran neck and neck through the museum, Derrick only steps behind. However, everyone in the museum was too in shock or too busy trying to get out of the way to stop the cloaked figure as he made it out the doors.

Felix began to huff as Mason gritted her teeth, pushing her body harder to come out in front of Felix and closer to the door. They slammed the front doors out of her way as she caught a glimpse of the brown figure shifting directions to go behind Terria's main building.

The chase ensued as Mason and Felix, with Derrick close behind, followed the presumed thief out of Terria property and into the brush filled land that surround the mining company and it's quarry.

"Where...is...this...guy...going?" Derrick shouted a question between huffs.

"Should...we...go...get...my...jeep?" Felix offered.

"No...we may lose... him... He's going...towards...Lovegood Crater. It's...fence...will stop him...Keep going!" Mason said, pulling ahead of the others.

Sure enough, a large 10-foot fence came into the Terria employees view and the brown spec that was their target slowed at it, eventually stopping when right upon it. However, as the group finally thought they had the thief, he began to climb up it.

"No..." Mason shout as she finally stopped out of exhaustion.

As he and Derrick caught up to her, Felix got a glimpsed of the cloak figure's hands and shook his head when he though he saw small, brown claws instead of human hands reaching in between the chain links . "This running must be getting to me." He said quietly between huffs.

"It's not over yet. We got to follow him. Come on!" Mason said, wiping away sweat from her brow as she pushing away exhaustion. The figure had now made it over the fence and jumped down into a run on the other side.

"What? That's... Lovegood Crater! We can't go in there!..It's off limits...under...President Short's...orders. He..said...dangerous things...are in..there." Derrick retorted.

"I can't let that burglar get away, not with Terria property. The President would want us to get it back at any cost. You can stay here if you like, catch you breathe. I'm going in though. That's my father's stuff that cloaked whacko has." Mason answered and head straight for the fence.

Felix looked at Derrick. "Let's follow Mason, alright? She's right. This guy can't get just get away with Terria stuff. This about honor now, Derrick." He said to the scientist, and headed after the Digger as she began to slowly climb the fence, slipping occasionally.

Derrick huffed behind him. "For honor? More like to get ourselves, killed..." However, then he caught a glance at his companions, both of which were now struggling to get up the fence, Mason almost at the top, and Felix just a few feet below her.

"They just don't give up...alright." He sighed. "Guess someone needs to come along that HAS some sense, and guess that person is you, Nelson." The scientist said bluntly and took his turn nearing the fence, looking out into the deep crater as the brown cloak disappeared off over its rim ahead. They had to hurry before they lost it completely in the crater.

Author's Note: Please review! I accept criticism kindly, especially the constructive kind.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers.

Chapter Two: Digging in Deep to ORE!

When the trio cleared the fence around Lovegood Crater, barren and arid ground met them. They caught a glimpse of the cloaked figure sliding down the slope that lead to the crater's bottom.

"Come on! After him!" Mason ordered and ran towards the slope.

"Wait! What do we do when we get down there? How do you expect to catch this guy?" Derrick called out to her, but she didn't reply.

Felix shrugged at him. "Guess we'll figure it out as we go? Come on, Derrick!" the Latino said and followed Mason's leave. After another heavy sigh, the scientist followed.

When they reached the bottom, Mason was just standing there. Her eyes were locked on the thief, who was also standing towards them. The situation didn't change as the two boys came up and stood on either side of their female companion.

"What's he doing? He's...just standing there?" Felix questioned.

"Man, this guy gives me the creeps. You can't see anything behind that cloak." Derrick commented.

"I know, but creepy or not, he's going down." Mason whispered before stepping forward and shouted at the figure. "Hey! Thief! Who are you?

The figure remained silent but stepped forward as well. He held out his claw towards the ground. In it rested a small brown sack.

"Is that a...claw?" Derrick said dumbstruck.

"I thought I was just seeing things with all that running." Felix answered.

"What...are you?" Mason said, mostly to herself.

However, the answer to that question would wait as suddenly the earth shook. The quake caused everyone to loose their balance. When the humans finally regained there footing, they weren't alone.

Only yards away, several dozen figures appeared. Most were the same, short humanoid figures with long black claws on their huge hands and feet that curved inward. They had tanned brown skin, bulbous noses, and wore tattered dirt covered vests and shorts.

However, leading them was a different figure entirely. His dark brown skin was dotted with rock-liked protrusions and on his head he wore a crown of crimson triangle stone, which matched his singular eye. Each of his huge hands and feet had but four fingers and toes. In between his rock protrusion, a bronze breastplate and mail skirt peeked through. He spoke in a voice that sounded as hideous as he looked. "Charge!"

The cloaked figure finally rose up at the sound of the bronze clinking as the leader lead his army forward. As the thief turned to face the army, the hood of the cloak fell down to its shoulders, revealing his head. The humans' jaws clinched when they saw it, a completely dark brown fur covered mass, with one long, narrow whisker covered pink snout jutting out.

"So, the Gnoma Guild has finally come to Lovegood." It spoke in a gruff low voice as the humans neared him cautiously. However, they stopped as he turn back to them, squinting already small black dots for eyes. "Come! I suggest we all run! You're not ready to face that brute just yet."

"What do you mean? Run? Run where?" Mason questioned.

"Yeah, and what...who...are you? And what are they?" Derrick demanded.

"Questions will be answered in due time, just...follow me. It's only choice. They're coming up quick." The huge mole said, as he turned again to face the army, which bolted closer and closer. He then ran past the young adults.

Felix watched him run past and looked at army again, closing in bit by bit. "Okay, I say we go with mole face! These guys don't look like any kind of joke to me."

"Agreed, plus, he's still got my father's stuff. Come on!" Mason said, and soon all three were chasing after the animal.

However, the chase would end quickly. The mole stopped just short the rim, several of the small humanoid soldiers staring down form it. He backed up to meet the three humans.

"More of them!" Mason huffed between breathes for air.

"What we do now, mole face? Bet you wish you didn't steal our things, now, huh?" Derrick asked the furred creature, who took a look at each of the soldiers, all getting ready to jump and slide down.

"First, I have a name. It's Talpid. Second, I didn't steal the pieces and I didn't expect to use them so soon, but desperate measures and all." He explained, reaching into the small bag he held in his hand.

In an instant, it seemed, he brought out three pieces of dull pale white crystal. "Quickly, take this. It's called Orichal, a rare mineral from this crater. To make a long story short for the moment, it has rare abilities and powers. If we are going to fend off this lot, you need it." He then gave a piece of the crystal to each of them. "Now, hurry and summon the Orichal's powers. Dig into yourselves, your very essence! Let the Orichal shine through you!" Talpid shouted out

"Dig into ourselves? " Mason murmured, staring into her pale white piece. Suddenly, it flashed with a glint of bright red light

"Let the Orichal..." Felix joined her, his crystal giving off a blue glow

"..shine through us..." Derrick whispered as his became yellow.

"Good, now, let them guide you towards your future." Talpid instructed. "...as Power Rangers!"

"Power Rangers? Us?" Mason exclaimed.

"Like the ones I saw on TV from Angel Grove a few years back?" Felix said, equally shocked. "No way!"

"Yes, to become Rangers, trust in your crystals. Do as the Orichal tells you!" The giant mole answered.

"Alright. Let's do this!" Mason said and closed her eyes, concentrating on her Orichal. Suddenly, its glow became stronger before fading out, the piece now completely red. She held it above her head as she shouted, "Digging in deep! Orichal shine!"

Suddenly, red rays of light shot from the tiny crystal. They covered her completely as she bent over and slammed the ground with her fist, causing the lights to seemingly explode as they formed around her. As she rose, she spread out her body, letting the light surround her. As it faded, her Ranger suit formed, a red vest with a white long-sleeved undershirt, gold belt, gray spandex pants, and red boots. On her vest, over the area were her heart was, a black D is emblazoned. Her helmet formed next, its black visor clenched in between impressions of two red drill heads.

"Breaking into full power! Red Driller!" Mason's voice boomed from behind the helmet as the image of huge red drill breaking the earth's surface appeared behind her.

When Felix and Derrick saw her, they stood dumbfounded for a moment.

"Well, boys?" Talpid prodded them out of their awe.

The two looked back at him before nodding, as their crystals turned blue and yellow in the same manner as Mason's. They copied her stance as they shouted together. "Digging in deep! Orichal shine!"

Derrick's yellow light formed around him to create a Ranger suit that was styled in the same manner, but it was yellow with a black L over the chest. His helmet's visor his held between two yellow impressions that look like metal scoops, each with four metal square prongs.

"Scooping away all doubts! Yellow Loader!" He shouted out, the image behind him forming into a large yellow front end loader, scooping up dirt mixed with shiny minerals

Felix's blue light also formed his Ranger suit, with his chest letter and H and his visor was held between two molded blue wheels.

"Carrying our courage! Blue Hauler!" He yelled, with a huge blue dump truck with six wheels screeches behind him, its bed full with dirt and minerals.

"Yes, you did it! Now, attack the Gnomax!" Talpid commanded.

"The what-ax?" Felix questioned.

"Those short hideous big nosed creeps all around us; they are the Gnomax, soldiers of the Gnoma Guild They are your enemies now. Come on, one good knock to the nose should do the trick, like this!" Talpid said and charged forward. As he ran, the mole faded in and out, flashing in different spots each time. Then, as he got close to one of the clawed foot soldiers, he became solid and clawed it straight in the nose. He watched as it crumbled into sand at his feet.

"That is so...cool!" Felix said, and then charged for a Gnomax, quickly hitting it on the nose. Instantly, it faded to sandy dust. "Ha ha! Yes! Take that, Gnomax."

"Alright, my turn!" Derrick said, and went towards a pair of foot soldiers that had just slid down from the rim. Quickly he jumped up and kick one in the nose, causing to fall and knock down its partner, who fell head first on the ground, dissolving away as it hit the hard soil.

Mason found herself surround by Gnomax as well. "You guys wanna play, huh? Well, bring it!" She said. However, as they charged in at once, she was force to dodge several punches. She manage to kick two out of way, but another one grabbed her arm, twisting it. As she grunted and struggled to get loose, Talpid saw and quickly dashed for her, appearing and reappearing in motion as he had before. Mid-dash, he hit the attacking Gnomax on its fatal spot, forcing it let go of Mason before it became sand.

Talpid continued his charge to clear the remaining Gnomax around the Red Ranger. He stopped and came back next to her, taking care of a few soldiers on his way.

"The trick to defeating Gnomax in hand-to-claw combat is not to let them swarm. Fight them individual and they aren't much of a challenge, but even a Ranger came become overpowered when several are attacking together. Learn that lesson well, Red Ranger." The mole instructed.

"Thank you, Talpid. I owe you big." Mason replied, grasping her arm that had been twisted. She looked over at Derrick and Felix, each taking out Gnomax left and right as they now were side by side, punching and kicking together.

Talpid, however, looked past her towards the horizon. "Don't thank me just yet..." He murmured as another figure came into view behind the bronze armored captain.

The figure was slender, with a tanned face of a human adult male with dark, copper colored eyes. Long bushy black hair sprouted from out under a large gold triangular cap, with a fiery feather attached to its brim. His ears were large and pointed. He was dressed shoulder down in bronze armor, which gave him the look of a knight. However, mass of different size shiny black crystals tore through the shoulder, elbow, and knee guards. He smirked as he looked out towards the battlefield, locking eyes with the cloaked mole

"Rangers! Retreat now!" Talpid ordered as he saw the knight approach the fight slowly.

"What? Retreat now? We're winning! These guys are easy!" Derrick protested after turning a pair of Gnomax to dust with his Topaz Pick.

"Yes, but he isn't." Talpid pointed towards the new arrival. "Even though you are strong, you're not ready to take on high-level Gnoma Guild members yet, especially not the second-in-command. So, quickly, follow me!"

"Right behind you, Talpid." Mason said as she ran after him, followed by Felix, who kept looking back at the remaining Gnomax, the bronze-armored captain and the new figure in the crater. Derrick reluctantly became the rear for a moment.

"After them! Don't let them escape with Orichal in their possession!" The captain barked his orders towards the few Gnomax. However, all though soldiers kept on the Ranger's heels, they couldn't run quite as fast. The humans and their mole leader were becoming more and more out of reach as they neared Lovegood Crater's 20 foot west wall.

As they bolted, Talpid slowed down to come beside the rangers. "There is a hole in the wall coming up. Duck into it and inside, just to your left, there's a big green button. Hit it just as soon as I come in the hole behind you, got it. No sooner. No later." The mole explained.

"Why? What are you going to do?" Derrick implored.

"Just trust me. I'm going buy us some time." Their animal companion explained before stopping in his tracks.

Felix looked through his visor at his friends. "You heard the mole! Keep running!" He exclaimed.

A few moments later, the Rangers found the hole in wall. It was hardly bigger than your average doorframe, but they did as they were told and charged in, finding the glowing green button exactly where Talpid told them it would be. They stood by it as they waited anxiously for the large upright mole to appear.

However, he was currently busy with his own task. The Gnomax were closing in, only a few away. "Orichal Shield!" Talpid said and held out his claw, revealing a piece of purple Orichal embedded in it. Suddenly, a purple aura came from it and shot out to form a dark purple opaque force field. He could help but smirk as some of the Gnomax hit it with their noses as they charged and instantly turned to sand. "That will keep them at bay, but not for long." He whispered to himself and then made his break for the hole.

When he reached it, he dove in. "Hit the button now!" He yelled as he ran past the Rangers. As Derrick smashed his hand into the button, a metal sheet appeared from the opening's side and made a loud whoosh as it filled the hole, sealing the cavern from the outside world.

"Welcome to the Shaft." Talpid said as he picked up a large flashlight from a cubby carved into the cavern's wall just beside the button. "Stay close and follow me. This place is home, but you don't want to get lost in it." He said as he turned on the light. Then, hugging the wall as much as he could, the mole lead the new Power Rangers down into the caverns, where, for now, nothing but darkness met them.

Author's Note: The Ranger suits took me awhile to decide on. I went back and forth on the shirts, but I always had the letters. Oh, and Talpid is named after "Talpidae" the biological family of most moles.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers or the Super Sentai.

Chapter Three: The Shaft's Secret Operation.

While the three Rangers followed their mole companion down the tunnels of the Shaft, outside the army of Gnomax were pounding away at Talpid's barrier.

Their captain barked orders from the behind the wave. "Come on, you sandbags! Put your backs into it! For the Guild!" However, he wasn't alone for long. Soon, the second-in-command that Talpid had mentioned came down from his perch on the cliff.

"Prince Kobolt, sire, the crater will be good as ours soon enough!" The armored rock Cyclops saluted as his superior stood beside him.

"It better be, Tombte, we've spent long enough looking for the Orichal's location. Plus, it seems that our meddling mole has brought a few Power Rangers to help him.

Tombte growled. "Talpid is weak! He thinks some mere humans can stop the mighty power of the Gnoma Guild? Ha! We have hundreds of them enslaved in our mines to make our magic stronger. Recall how easily the red one was swarmed by mere Gnomax!"

"Yes, however count how many were lost to Talpid and the other two. The Rangers are powered by Orichal, they will grow strong like the mole if given half the chance. Stomp them out now, Tombte, before they've had proper taste of that mineral's might." He said, and then began to walk away.

"Wait! Where are you going, sire? Won't you stay and watch my great victory over Talpid? It will be ruthless, I swear it!" Tombte questioned.

"Hmph. That remains to be seen. However, I cannot stay. I have previous engagement with the King." Kobolt answered as he stomped a few times on the ground. Then, it cracked upon with a black sinister glow that swallowed him up. As it faded, the ground turned back to normal, with no trace that the prince had ever been there.

"His Highness doubts my power." Tombte said to himself. "However, after I destroy Talpid and his new friends, I will have his respect." He growled before turning towards the Gnomax again. "Come on, Gnomax! I want that barrier down immediately!"

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, down in the earthen corridors of the Shaft, Talpid lead his human companions onward.<p>

"We are almost there, Rangers. Hurry now, there isn't much time." The mole said.

"Almost there to where? Where are you taking us, mole face?" Derrick asked confused.

"Please, call me Talpid, Mr. Talpid if you must, but not "mole face." I have proper, respectable name and I expect to be addressed by it." The cloaked animal replied sternly.

"Sorry….." Derrick said, although mostly to himself.

"Thank you. Now, to answer your question, I'm taking you a place where I can be sure I can explain things properly to all of you. Being new Rangers and have had your first run in with some of the Gnoma Guild, I'm sure you have lots of questions. So, given the current situation, I need to answer them in the quickest way possible in the safest place possible. So, here we are, trudging through our lovely Shaft, where we are about ten yards or so, I said, from our destination. Now, is that answer satisfactory, Blue Ranger?" Talpid answered, turning his head towards the Rangers.

"Umm…yeah. It is…sort of…" Derrick admitted in a bit of the shock .

"Good, now, no more questions for now, just walking. The Gnomax are hot on our heels, and if they reach the Shaft, we'll have major problems on our hands." The mole said and kept leading the Rangers.

Finally, he stopped at a large opening in one of the tunnels walls. Inside was a grey large room with steel flooring and gray concrete walls. Two hallways went from the left and the right, and in the center was a large metal table with several metal seats around it. Behind that, on the wall facing the opening, were several pieces of equipment that had various buttons, switches, vents, and fans. The center-piece of this technological display was a monitoring system made of several different displays, with one huge 52' monitor in the center, connected to a large silver keyboard and control panel that rested on a steel cabinet below it.

"What….is this place?" Felix said as he and the other Rangers peered past their cloaked companion.

"This is called the Hub. I built it all by my lonesome, so please try to keep it neat. Now, come on, in you go. Got a lot to cover and not much time." Talpid said, and turned off his flashlight, placing it on the table as he walked in and stood by the giant monitor.

However, as the Rangers stepped in, they were surrounded by a ripple of purple energy. As they passed through the threshold, they found themselves in their regular Terria outfits instead of their Ranger gear.

"Hey? What happen to our suits?" Felix questioned as he looked himself over and his Orichal reappeared in his hands, as Mason's and Derrick's did at the same time.

"Opps. Sorry. Forgot I put that force field there. I've been using it as a fire wall of sorts against the powers of others, which apparently includes Orichal power that isn't purple. Tricky stuff, Orichal power, you see, but more on that in just a second. For now, I'll have to take it down, now that you Rangers will be coming in and out of here." Talpid said and went behind the Ranger, who now stood at the table. He then raised his Orichal embedded claw to the opening and, in and instant, a small purple flash appeared and went inside the Orichal. "There, that's better. No more de-morphing in the threshold." The mole said to himself.

Then, after trudging past the Rangers back to the monitor, he turned towards them again and stated, "Now, to get down to business, I guess I'd better start by explaining to you three about Orichal and it's properties."

"Yeah, what is Orichal? Why does it make us Rangers?" Mason asked.

"Orichal is a mineral, but doesn't come from Earth. Well, to be technical, it can't be found or formed naturally on Earth. It arrived here several thousand years ago as pieces of meteorite that crashed into this planet to form Lovegood Crater. The impact, among other things, formed Orichal, which is buried deep in the ground under the crater." Talpid explained.

Derrick interrupted, his face in a suspicious scowl. "Impossible, you say this stuff is from space? How would you know that?"

Talpid sighed before continuing "Because, I've been studying this stuff ever since I found out about it. As you may have guessed by my appearance, I myself am not from Earth. I come from a place deep beyond the stars of this galaxy; a space colony that goes by the name Moldvarpa. A few years back, my colony was invaded by the Gnoma Guild, which is practically a kingdom of miners and soldiers who are as ruthless as they are numerous. They came to take our resources, our national treasures, anything solid that we need to survive or held dear, especially the metals. Oh, they love metals, ores, and gems. That's why the Orichal has caught their eye and they have come here."

You see, after they invade and took everything, being a warrior of our colony, I took it upon myself to follow the Gnoma Guild and try to stop them from destroying more civilizations. Then, I found they were hunting Orichal, a rare mineral that only forms from the meteorites of one planet in the entire universe. I learned that planet's name was Eltar from a fellow space colonist I met named Andros, who had also been keeping his eye on the Gnoma Guild . He then pointed me towards Earth, where he had found out through his sources that a Eltarian meteorite had landed in the past.

So, I came here and sure enough, the Gnoma Guild has come as well. They'll take all resources here they can, but what they really want is the Orichal. It has mysterious powers, which vary by the color and skill of it's user. As you have seen, my purple Orichal, which I received when I first being to study the mineral, allows me to have incredible speed, as well as to make force fields, both solid and permeable, among other things. And with time and practice, who knows what powers your Orichal will grant you. With all my research, I fear I've only scratched the surface, so to speak, on it's abilities. As for why it makes you Rangers, well it may have to do with its connect to Eltar, which is where the source of all the Rangers' power, a thing called the Morphing Grid, originated." He finished.

"Okay, that is a lot to take in. Umm…so, how do we keep the Gnoma Guild from getting the Orichal if it's under Lovegood Crater?" Mason implored.

"I can answer that question, Talpid." A voice said from the left hallway. The humans and the mole turned to find another human standing at the doorway. The figure was a familiar one, a middle aged

"President Short? What are you doing here?" Derrick asked in a surprised voice.

"Talpid and I are partners of sorts. He came to me with his knowledge of the Orichal and of the Gnoma Guild. He asked if I could offer any assistance, especially since Lovegood Crater is property of Terria Resources. So, he and I came up with the plan to have Terria employees secretly mine for the Orichal under Lovegood. I can go public with it because of the nature of the problem. The less the public knows about Orichal the better, especially with the threat it could hold when place in the wrong hands. So, here you three are," the company head explained.

"Yeah, but why us? Mason, aside, why not senior members of Terria?" Felix asked.

"You were selected at random, though I sort of guessed Mason would be the first to notice someone in her father's collection, which turns out has Orichal in it. I also knew anyone who would follow Mason would be acceptable for the job. You have to show a sense of justice and courage to follow what you thought to be thief into an place deemed off-limits like Lovegood. You've also shown confidence and tenacity to trust Talpid and become Rangers to face the Gnoma Guild's forces." President Short detailed.

"So, how does this work? How do we mine for the Orichal? Is there any special procedures?" Mason questioned.

"None so far. It'll just be like working at Terria. In fact, I'll pay you the same for your jobs here mining that you would do at the home quarry. However, this time, you'll be using these," the president walked over beside Talpid and pushed a button on the keyboard. The monitor behind them let up, and he selected a document on screen. When it popped up, three images popped up, each of them of a huge, colorful piece of machinery.

"These are your special equipment vehicles, called Zords." The President pointed to the first, which was a huge red mobile drill. "Mason, as a Digger, you'll be operating Red Driller. It's fast and possesses a huge steel-titanium alloy drill head is lined in diamond plating. With that you'll be able to bust through any rock to find pieces of Orichal. Look for and bust up the biggest pieces of it you can find. Don't worry about small shards of it, if we collect enough, they won't matter." He explained before moving on to the next of a yellow front-end loader.

"Derrick, this one is yours, the powerful Yellow Loader. You'll be using it to go behind Mason and scoop up all the she breaks into. It's bucket is also made of a steel-titanium power and can expand to lift up to a half-ton on materials, so you'll be able to make fewer trips. You'll be dumping all that you scoop into our next machine. Your skill in science will also help us discover more about why Orichal acts the way it does" President Short walked over and pointed to the last picture.

"Blue Hauler is the name of your Zord, Felix. Like you, it's the rookie of the group, but don't let that put you off. Newly designed and built, There's not anything like it on the market, a huge dump truck with six wheels and a bed and chassis that can hold unimaginable weight. It's also has the most horsepower of any haul truck ever built. You'll use it to take the Orichal to our refining processor, which is located deep in the Shaft." He said, then reached inside the cabinet and brought out a metal lined suit case.

"And now, the last pieces in our operation." He said and walked over to the Rangers. "But first, you must swear to me you will not tell anyone about this. Because of the seriousness of this mission, not a soul outside these room can find out about it. This project is funded by money that I have stored away, so I have personal interest in it. If you accept it, you'll all live here in the Hub, and Talpid will train you daily one using your Orichal. Do you accept this?" Short said with a most serious voice he could muster.

The trio nodded. "I swear." They said in almost unison, one a little behind the other.

"Then, I declare you the O.R.E Power Rangers." He said presented the case. "O.R.E stands for the name of I have given to your mission : Operation Recovery and Extraction. Take these." President Stone opened up the case. Inside, three metal devices sat in a cushion of black velvet. They were small and oval in shape. Each was open, to reveal a small, padded compartment. It's doors were metallic with a little colored impression of Ranger's Zord on each of them. The Terria employees careful took them out and examined them.

"This are your Crystamorphers. Since Orichal, as powerful as it is, is still a mineral at heart, it is very fragile. This will serve to protect it from braking and more importantly, to make sure they are conceal on your person so as not to be stolen. Place your individual pieces inside, and they will close once on your wrists. Never take the Orichal out unless absolutely needed Then, once you want to morph, simply call out "Digging in deep! O.R.E!" The Crystamorphers will open and you will have access to your Orichal pieces once more. They also contain a communication system that will allow you to contact each other and the Hub from long distances." Short instructed and watched as the Ranger's did as told placed their Orichal inside.

"This is….amazing." Mason said as she strapped hers on her wrist and looked at it.

As Derrick and Felix put on theirs. "I thank you, Mason, Derrick, Felix. You've done Talpid and me a great service by agree to this. Mason, I'm putting you in charge under Talpid. I want you to lead the team when they're out in the field and help our mole friend here report back to me about the excavation of the Orichal as well as the status of the fight against the Gnoma Guild. I'm afraid I can't be involved in this project as much as I would like to be, giving its secrecy and the fact that I have Terria as whole to oversee, but I know you will all do well."

"So…Mason's leading...of course…humph." Derrick mumbled to himself, but Mason still heard him and gave him a nasty glance. He shrugged in response then turned both turned their attention back to Terria's President.

"Now, I am afraid I have a meeting back at the main office to attend. I'll see you again soon, I take it. Best of luck. Talpid, brief them on our enemies as much as you can, we need them well prepared." President Stone said and disappeared down the hall as quickly as he appeared

"Yes, will do, Mr. Short." Talpid shouted out down the hall before turning back to the Rangers. "Now, it's time to take the Crystamorphers on their first test. Get ready, Rangers. You have battle to be won outside. The big rocky guy you saw with the Gnomax is named Tombte. He is your first target." He said and turned to the monitor as he clicked another file to make a profile of the Cyclops appear. "He is a captain of the Gnoma Guild, very power and very skilled at warfare. It will take a lot to take him down. Aim for his crown of red stones on his head, that's where he'll draw his power. Once you morph, let your Orichal guide you in combat. I will be here, making more preparations. Now go! I know we've spent a lot of time here with explanation but there's not a second to waste!"

"You can count on us, Talpid, we won't let you down!" Felix said and then rushed out of the Hub with the others and back up the Shaft.

Soon, they were well outside, just in time to see Talpid's barrier dissolve as the Gnomax busted through it.

"Alright guys, let's show this Gnomax just what their up against." Mason said. Derrick and Felix nodded and they shouted together. "Digging in Deep! O.R.E!" Their Crystamorphers opened up as their Orichal shone. Then ,they went through their respective morphing sequences, becoming Rangers once more.

"Red Driller!"

"Yellow Loader!"

"Blue Hauler!"

Once in their Ranger suits, they stared through their visors at Tombte. "Get them! Destroy those that stand our way, our new enemy, the Power Rangers!" He bellowed as the Gnomax charged forth. The Rangers braced themselves to fight of the Gnomax again.

A/N: I had a lot of fun coming up with ideas for this chapter.

I went back in forth on how much President Short and Terria were involved in O.R.E. Originally it was just Talpid who knew about the Orichal and the Gnoma and mentored the Rangers alone, but I wanted to give a more believable explanation on why a anthropomorphic mole would have heavy machinery and could be able to run a huge, mostly likely expensive operation found in the Shaft. Oh, and more trivia, the name Moldvarpa is based on an old European name for moles.


End file.
